A search
that lasted more than a
year for
Dana Zemtsov
In the more than a quarter-century since the Musical Instrument Fund was established, it has helped nearly 2,000 musicians in the Netherlands obtain an instrument. But never before have both a father and a daughter from the same family received an instrument from the Musical Instrument Fund.
In 2011 and 2012, violist Mikhail Zemtsov (principal violist with the Residentie Orkest) played a viola from the collection of Het Muziekinstrumentenfonds. Now, his 21-year-old and equally talented daughter, Dana, has been provided with a (different) viola.
After a search lasting more than a year, the Musical Instrument Fund has finally found a viola that perfectly meets Dana’s requirements: a physically small viola with the sound of a large one—an almost impossible combination. It is a rare and valuable Italian viola from the second half of the 19th century.
Despite her young age, Dana Zemtsov already has an impressive resume. She has won numerous competitions, performed Bartók’s Viola Concerto in the main hall of the Royal Concertgebouw, played chamber music with Janine Jansen and Martin Fröst, performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, and has just released her first solo CD.
The purchase of this valuable viola was made possible in part by a generous donation from a private individual, support from the Young Musicians Fund (a fund administered by Het Cultuurfonds), and numerous contributions from donors to Het Muziekinstrumentenfonds.